ISLAMABAD, February 10, 2015: Starting 70 minutes behind schedule, the first sitting of the Punjab Assembly’s 12th session was marked by passage of four resolutions amid low attendance of lawmakers, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

Thirty-six legislators (10%) were present at the start of the sitting and 60 (16%) at the time of adjournment. The Leader of the House and the Opposition Leader did not attend the sitting.

The House adopted four resolutions to condemn the publication of blasphemous caricatures by a French magazine, express grief over the demise of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, ban the usage of harmful pesticides and impose a tax on private education institutions based on their annual audit.

Another resolution demanding action against factories producing fake medicines was rejected on the grounds that a law against such businesses is already in place.

Three other resolutions calling for civil defence training in educational institutions, action against illegal sale of law enforcement agencies’ uniforms and appointment of female labour inspectors in industrial zones were disposed of by the House.

An independent member pointed out the quorum on three occasions. However, it was found to be complete upon counting.

Following are some key observations of the proceedings:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Punjab Assembly met for three hours and two minutes.
• The sitting started at 1610 hours against the scheduled time of 1500 hours.
• The House observed a 41-minute prayer break during the sitting.
• Thirty-six (10%) legislators present at the start and 60 (16%) at the end of the sitting.
• A maximum of 110 members (30%) attended the sitting.
• The sitting was entirely chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
• The Leader of the House and the Opposition Leader were absent.
• Among parliamentary leaders, only the PPPP and JI leaders attended the sitting.
• Three out of eight minority members were present.
• No member applied for leave.

Output

• The House adopted four resolutions to condemn the publication of blasphemous caricatures by a French magazine, express grief over the demise of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, ban the usage of harmful pesticides and impose a tax on private education institutions based on their annual audit.
• Another resolution demanding action against factories producing fake medicines was rejected on the grounds that a law against such businesses is already in place.
• Three other resolutions calling for civil defence training in educational institutions, action against illegal sale of law enforcement agencies’ uniforms and appointment of female labour inspectors in industrial zones were disposed of by the House.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Eleven (25%) out of 44 starred questions appearing on the agenda were taken up and responded by the relevant ministries/department. In addition, the MPAs raised 20 supplementary questions during the sitting.
• A PPPP lawmaker’s privilege motion against Deputy District Officer Liaqatpur was also taken up and sent to the relevant standing committee.

Order and Institutionalization

• Twenty-two points of order consumed 12 minutes of the proceedings’ time.
• An independent member pointed out the quorum on three occasions. However, it was found to be complete upon counting.
• Opposition lawmakers from PML, JI and PPPP staged a two-minute walkout against the unsatisfactory response of the Department of Local Government and Community Development during the question hour.

Transparency

• ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to the legislators, observers and others.
• Information on members’ attendance was unavailable to the observers and public.

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The daily factsheet is based on direct observation of the Punjab Assembly proceedings conducted by PATTAN Development Organization – a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions are regretted.